Chapter 7
A/N: Thank you for over 700 views! And 5 reviews, dang. Reviews are good. I'm glad I have support, considering that there are at least 4 active high school AUs right now. Anyway, to the story!
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Link woke up with a start. Something wasn't right. He sat up. Wait, this wasn't his place. He wouldn't dream of keeping anything this filthy. The rank smell of weed hit him, and he remembered why he was here.
Marluxia was being extra loud. He swore the man was trying to drive him crazy. So, even though he would rather sleep in his own bed, he went down the building to Demyx's place. Even though he literally just went there to smoke, Demyx insisted they get high.
It was a nice time. Demyx was loud, real loud, but at least he was funny and wasn't trying to sabotage Link's sleep.
He needed a shower. Luckily, the apartment layout was the same, so he was easily able to navigate from the dingy couch (how was it already dingy? It was the same one that came with the apartment) to the bathroom. He glanced into the open bedroom door, and Demyx was sprawled out face down on his bed. Link considered waking him ask if he could use the shower, but figured it would be rude to wake him up.
He was always one to take quick showers, but today was extra quick. Demyx's shampoo and conditioner were different than his, fancy and ocean scented. He mixed the two together in his palm to save time. The body wash was the manly scent of "EXTRA SPORT", which honestly, just smelled like decent smelling deodorant.
After he got out of the shower, he folded the towel he'd used and put it on the sink. It was hard to find a place, given all the half-empty hair products. Demyx seemed to put a lot more effort into his look than Link. He quickly got dressed, thanking his past self for bringing spare clothes, and left the bathroom.
"Oh, yeah, hey," Demyx said. Link was a bit startled. The other boy had just gotten up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "You're welcome to make some coffee or something. I'll be a bit."
Link just nodded.
"Oh, and Axel gives me rides to school, and I'm sure if you wanted to, he'd give you one too."
He thought for a moment, and then nodded.
"Alright. I'm gonna shower now, so, uh, make yourself at home." Demyx said before disappearing into the bathroom.
Coffee. Yeah, that sounded nice. He went into the kitchen, and jeez, the counters just had so much stuff. It took all his will to not clean it all off right then and there. He managed to find the coffee pods and put the most neutral flavored one in.
"Hey, sexy!" The door opened with a thud, and Link nearly jumped. "Wait, you're not Dem…"
Link clamored for words as the tall redheaded man that just entered glared at him. "Uh, he let me stay the night!"
The man knitted his eyebrows down for a moment, thinking. He then broke out into a loud, booming laugh. "Shit, you're Link, aren't you!" Link nodded a bit. "Demyx told me he gave you a spare key. He here?"
Link pointed towards the bathroom.
"Great, thank you." He went towards the bathroom and threw open the door. "Hey, you didn't tell me there'd be another cute boy here! He single?"
"Holy shit, close the door, Axel!"
Link tried to stifle his laughter. Axel was… certainly a character, to say the least. His coffee was done, and he took a small sip. This year was going to be chaos, and he was going to love it.
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Noelle Holiday had always wanted to contribute to something. After all, her mother was the mayor in their little town in Alaska. That was always something to live up to, wasn't it? Luckily, they could afford to help her pay for an apartment so long as her grades were good and she had a part-time job.
The heat in Arizona was something else. The fur wasn't helping.
Right. Fur.
It wasn't quite as shocking anymore, at least. Still, every time she walked back onto campus, she felt uneasy. A part of her felt like this was how she was meant to be, and the rest of her didn't want it to be right. All the jokes her father made about how ridiculous furries were… God, how would he react if he knew he was secretly a reindeer?
She was usually one of the first people to homeroom, and today was no different. The only other people were the triplets, the red-haired one's chair turned around so she could talk to her sisters. They all waved a friendly hello as she went to her seat in the front of the classroom. While she waited for homeroom to start, she looked through her planner and made sure she had all of her stuff.
After a couple minutes, people started streaming in. That angel boy Pit talked eagerly at that girl with the pretty pink ombre hair Gunnthra as they sat down in the row behind her. That quiet girl (Chell? She was pretty sure that's the name she heard during attendance) sat in the back, probably reading again. That goth girl Abigail sat next to Chell and got on her phone. A few others came in just before the bell.
And then there was Susie. She came in right as the bell rang and sat right next to Noelle. They weren't close, not yet, but she didn't seem to mind her presence.
Noelle also wanted to contribute to other people's happiness.
At first, Susie scared her. After all, the first time they saw each other, she'd just broken a mirror. Plus, she was a tall, purple dinosaur, and not in a Barney kind of way. But damn, she was a hot dinosaur.
Noelle wanted to make sure she was okay. So, she set off to find her at lunch that day. Susie sat alone, eating all the food she could. Noelle asked if she could sit with her, and Susie glared at her. "Why?"
That made Noelle flush with embarrassment. "I-uh, sorry, I just thought you might need a friend."
Susie narrowed her eyes. "I don't do the friends thing."
Noelle sat down anyway. "Well, that's a sad way to live."
The taller girl shrugged and ate her food. "That's just how it is." But she didn't chase Noelle away, so she saw it as a victory.
The next day, Susie joined her in homeroom. "Don't think this is something special, I just can't stand anyone else." Lunch was similar, not really talking but still being near each other.
And then, back to present time. Susie was there, yet again. It was kind of nice, honestly. "H-hey, Susie."
"Why do you stutter so much, anyway?" The taller girl scoffed. "You scared, or something?"
"No!" Noelle quickly lied. "I mean, uh, a little. There's still so much new stuff."
"That's… not what I meant." Susie shrugged.
Before Noelle could respond, Mr. Lowell called attention to the class. "Good morning, students! Today, I have a special announcement. Our school will be forming a student council! Anyone can join, and we will be holding elections for President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Event Lead. Campaigning takes place next week, and Friday morning, votes will be cast. Results will be announced on Monday."
Finally, an opportunity to contribute. She didn't want to be President, no. But treasurer? Right up her alley! She couldn't wait to tell her friends in Advanced Math.
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Jeremy Scott wasn't used to having his own identity. He was the youngest of eight brothers, and so he was always known as "the youngest Scott brother" or "that Scott kid who needs to take a Ritalin" or, later "that Scott kid who takes too much Ritalin" It was rare that anyone even called him Jeremy. It wasn't until he was 14 until he got a nickname to himself. His math teacher was sick, so there was a sub who was blind as a freakin' bat. She misread Scott as Scout, and so, he insisted that people call him Scout.
No one ever did.
His backstory was ironic. Was that the right word? Didn't matter. In his world, he was the Scout. On the battlefield, he zoomed ahead of his teammates, stealing intel and zipping away before anyone could catch him. He wasn't just bashing fools who insulted his ma with a baseball bat anymore, he was actually taking on men two, even three times his size! He didn't have to chase his brothers to the fight, no no. He was the fight. Grass grows, birds fly, sun shines, and brotha', he hurt people. He was a real force-a-nature.
Oh, and his dad wasn't his dad. That part didn't matter, though. He was a bad guy, good riddance. Hell, if he could find the man who beat his ma until finally divorcing her when Scout was eight, he'd gladly bash his brains in.
Nah, the important part was that his real dad was here in town. His tablet was freakin' stupid, though. Didn't even give a name, just called him Spy. Like, how was he supposed to find him? Just going downtown and yelling "Heya, Spy, come here!" wouldn't work. Probably.
He wasn't sure what he'd do when he found Spy. Beat his ass for leaving Ma in that shithole? Hug him? Maybe Spy didn't wanna be found. After all, he was a spy. Spies usually tried to stay hidden.
Still, he'd appreciate living with someone. Living in an apartment alone was not fun. His wall was already worn from how much he threw his ball at it. Have you even seen his ball? He loved his ball.
The only good that came out of living there was his downstairs neighbor Demyx. Sure, he was loud, but Scout liked loud. Hell, he freakin' loved loud. The two got along great, and even had their Basic Math class together. They were some of the oldest which was a bit embarrassing, but he really didn't care. Nope. Not one bit. Math was dumb anyway. Algebra? Sounded like a made-up word. Or an extra dumb bra. Why did girls even wear bras, anyway? He tried asking this girl in middle school, but she just slapped him.
The first day, Demyx sat with a couple people he knew from his world, some pink-haired guy and a British dude. Scout tried to join, but their table was full because of some rando chick named Rikku. But, the next day, Demyx joined him instead. Thank God that Mr. Mewtwo didn't care about assigned seating. That sort of thing was dumb, anyway. Mr. Mewtwo could probably read their minds and see if they were there, anyway.
They weren't the only two at their table. Terra Buckley sat across from him, and Susie Joyner filled the last spot (because it was the only one left in the classroom). Terra was that jock type, kinda like his older brothers, but he was nice. Real freakin' stupid, but they all were. Susie, though, was a Grade-A bitch. Most of the time, she just ignored them, but then, for no freakin' reason, she'd just snap.
Mr. Mewtwo just got done teachin', but he may as well've been speaking Scottish or something. He opened up his tablet and pulled up the worksheet, but man. "Do any of you guys get this shit?"
Demyx laughed. "Bruh, we're the dumbass table. You think anyone's smart here?"
"I just want to go home," Terra said. "Or a party, but that's not until tomorrow."
Scout leaned back. "You know, I've never been to a real party."
Terra grinned. "Well, you can come with me. You know Alex Mullner?"
"Yeah, yeah, the football guy! Have music class with him. God, that class is dumb. Like, how do people even read music anyway?"
"His grandparents are out of town, so he's throwing a big one. They have a pool and everything!"
Demyx's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah. That sounds awesome!"
"Sure! I can give you guys a ride if you want."
"Hell yeah. You know if there's gonna be any alcohol? Cause I've never gotten drunk around people my age, only by myself and with my brothers. My brothers and I always did stupid shit, and, well, no one likes drinking alone." Scout murmured that last part.
"Probably. I'll be bringing some tequila anyway."
"What about cocaine? I've always wanted to try that."
Before Terra could even answer, Mr. Mewtwo glared at their group. "You know, I would appreciate it if you didn't talk so loudly about your drug habits."
Scout rolled his eyes. "It's not even a habit yet! Ritalin, yeah, but not cocaine. Come on, man!"
Mr. Mewtwo just sighed. "I encourage you to get help, but for now, please be quiet and focus on your work."
That was dumb. But, hey, you know what? He had a party to go to over the weekend. He couldn't freakin' wait.
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The day was awkward for Peach, to say the least. Having so many classes with a guy who's disappointed in you? Yikes. They still sat in the same row of tables at lunch, but at least she and Marth didn't have to talk. Instead, she could listen to Zelda talk about running for Student Council President. She'd be a good fit, Peach could tell.
At some point, Zelda asked if Peach was running for anything, and she just laughed. "Hell no, I'm not responsible enough. Might be a member, but no way am I running for anything."
"Fair enough. Recognizing when you're not up to a task is an important skill." Zelda smiled serenely.
After lunch, it was time for Home Ec with Isabelle. It was odd having the… assistant principal? Honestly, she had no idea what Isabelle was to the school. Anyway, it was odd having her for a teacher. She was sweet, though, and seemed to enjoy teaching. From what it sounded like, the class was a balance of money, cooking, gardening, and various skills like sewing and knitting. Oh well, as long as there wasn't any homework. This one emo chick, Paine, argued that the class was sexist, but it was just a life skills class. Isabelle made it clear that these are things guys need to know too. Besides, if that jock guy Terra enjoyed it, it couldn't be that bad.
That day, they were learning how to make chocolate chip cookies. Peach already knew how to, but hey, cookies! She and Daisy went over to their station to get ready.
"Oh, hey, Peach, Daisy!" Speaking of Terra, the guy came up to their counter. "You guys know about Alex's party?"
"Party?" Peach raised an eyebrow. She definitely didn't want to miss a party.
"No one's told you? Yeah, he's throwing a pool party tomorrow night. I think he mentioned he was going to say something in the chatroom, but I don't think he has yet." Terra smiled. Honestly, Peach had been avoiding her tablet, so she wouldn't know anyway. "I figured, since you guys threw a party, that you'd want to come to one!"
"Hell yeah! Just send us the address!" Daisy grinned.
"Oh, and there's gonna be booze, if that changes your opinion."
Peach smirked. "Just makes me more likely to go."
"Great! See you guys there!"
Daisy and Peach grinned at each other. They got the prep done for their cookies, and after they were in the oven, Peach decided to brave getting on her tablet. Funny enough, she had a message from Axel asking if she was going to Alex's party. God, they had similar names. That was an oof if she'd ever seen one.
Alright, chatroom time. She hoped and prayed that Marth wasn't on there. If she remembered right, he was in Aerobics, so he probably wasn't.
[Console]: Welcome Peach T to the chat!
Daisy S: haha i beat you here
Peach T: shut up lol
Axel R: you guys are gonna be at the party, right?
Daisy S: ye
Terra B: i told them
Demyx H: k cool. should i make a gc for everyone who's going?
Axel R: wait until he officially anounces it
Demyx H: k
[Console]: Welcome Mist G to the chat!
Demyx H: hello new friend
Mist G: hihihi
[Console]: Welcome Riku Y to the chat!
Sora H: o/
Riku Y: \o
[Console]: Welcome Stahl B to the chat!
Stahl B: terra told me there was a party lol
Aqua C: Shouldn't we wait to really advertise until Alex actually makes an announcement?
[Console]: Welcome Alex M to the chat!
Aqua C: Speak of the Devil. LOL.
Alex M: nah go ahead and talk about it, i'll make an announcement once i'm don with school work.
Demyx H: make a group chat
Alex M: lol i will in a few. Pm me for the address.
Peach, of course, private messaged him. In a couple moments, he sent the address. Huh, so he was kind of far off. Oh well. It wasn't like it affected much, since she could drive herself.
Before she got back on her tablet, she checked on the cookies. Yep, they looked like what they were supposed to!
As she turned it back on, she got a notification that she was added to another group chat. Oh, right, Alex was making one.
[Console]: Alex M added Peach T, Daisy S, Axel R, Demyx H, Stahl B, Aqua C, Terra B, and Haley C.
Alex M: there we go. Feel free to add more people.
[Console]: Demyx H added Link E and Jeremy S.
Link E: ?
Demyx H: there's a party and you should come
Link E: ?
Link E: why me
Peach T: come on, have a little fun ;)
Axel R: we need more cute guys
Alex M: uhhh i was thinking more cute girls but okay
Haley C: I'm right here.
Alex M: i know, there's just a lot of guys
Axel R: not everyone is straight my guy
Jeremy S: OH MY GOD I JUST FOUND OUT THERE'S A DYSLEXIA OPTION
Daisy S: dude it's not hard to find
Jeremy S: WAIT YOUR DYSLEXIC TOO?
Daisy S: ye
Peach T: she is
Axel R: chill with the caps
Jeremy S: EASIER TO READ
Jeremy S: UPPER CASE LETTERS ARE EASIER
Demyx H: scout my guy
Terra B: wait u don't wear glasses though?
Demyx H: it makes it look like you're yelling
Terra B: how were you planning on passing english?
Jeremy S: I WASNT
Axel R: understandable, have a nice day
Peach T: most schools have a disability office
Jeremy S: THE FUCK YOU MEAN?
Daisy S: wait how did you survive school
Jeremy S: I DIDN'T
Axel R: i mean same but
Jeremy S: WAS VERY CONFUSED WHEN I GOT AN INVITE
Alex M: same
Terra B: same
Demyx H: same
Link E: same tho
Aqua C: I'm sorry, all of you are dumbasses.
Demyx H: yeah
[Console]: Haley C added Mipha S, Pit I, Sora H, Riku Y, Yuffie K, and Olette G.
Haley C: people in chat were interested
[Console]: Mipha S added Urbosa G and Sidon S.
Terra B: wooo this party is gonna be lit
Alex M: btw, i probably can't get alcohol for everyone, at least enough to get hammered. bring your own stuff if you can
Axel R: i gotcha covered
Demyx H: weed friendly?
Alex M: no, smells too much
Demyx H: understandable
Jeremy S: COCAINE?
Alex M: uuhhhhh i'm not buying that but if you have some i guess?
Jeremy S: IM TOO BROKE
Alex M: me too man
Terra B: we're still in high school
Peach T: i mean it's not hard to get but like
Peach T: your nose can collapse if you do it too much
Daisy S: ye
Jeremy S: THATS BAD
Link E: yeah no shit don't do hard drugs
Haley C: yeah drugs are bad ;)
Stahl B: I'm not drinking, is that gonna be a problem?
Alex M: i mean, you're choice, I guess
Stahl B: I'll be a designated driver then :)
Mipha S: thank you, you're doing us a huge service
Peach T: good human
Stahl B: :)
[Console]: Sora H invited Kairi M, Xion M, and Namine M.
[Console]: Axel R invited Ventus A and Roxas A.
Namine M: are there going to be psychedelics? always wanted to try.
Kairi M: Namine?!
Namine M: was just curious
Link E: never let your first trip be in public. You'll want a sober trip sitter and a calm place.
Demyx H: you do lsd?
Link E: used to. im familiar with how to have a safe trip
Sora H: I've never even been drunk lol
Sora H: kind of excited
Kairi M: I kinda want to but idk
Axel R: ah, what it would be like to think responsibly
Peach T: Getting drunk depends on who's around and what you drink tbh
Jeremy S: ARE PARTIES GOOD FOR IT?
Peach T: depends on how much you trust the people around you
[Console]: Olette G added Malon F, Pence W and Hayner A.
Daisy S: please never go to parties alone
Yuffie K: especially since you're a girl, you have to be careful
Axel R: i mean, me and Demyx are the only villains going, and we're only villains on a technicality
Mipha S: also make sure you don't let your dirnk out of your sight
Peach T: i mean, it's not like we're complete strangers
Mipha S: still
Alex M: i'll keep an eye out for bad stuff
Stahl B: And I'll be sober, so if you end up needing a ride, I can give one (or help you order an Uber.
Aqua C: I used to party, but yeah, just be careful and you'll be fine.
Terra B: you did?
Alex M: oh yeah, make sure to bring swimsuits.
The oven timer went off, and Peach had had enough of the chat for a bit anyway. She was excited for the party. After all drinking with cute guys? Especially Link, that was exciting.
Yeah, it was going to be great.
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A/N: so it took me a while to get here, but here we are. Next chapter may break up the "four POVs" structure that I've had going for a bit. Anyway, I wanna thank you all again for your support. I feel like this chapter is a bit short, but the next one will be longer. Anyway, reviews help me so much, so please comment on what you like (and what you don't).